Connecter socket



Feb. 28, 1928. 1,660,863

0. A. CCLBY CONNECTER SOCKET Filed m. 25, 1925 l 0 Fig. /2

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3/ awe U 35 27 0?\42 /U Fig.3 7 26 Fly. 4 3/ WITNESSES: INVENTOR Ora. A. (o/by M Fig. 8 BY ATTORNEY Patented F eh. 28, 1928.

UNITED STATES:

PATENT OFFIC one A. COLBY, onmwrmrnnusYLvama, ASSIGNOR T0 wEsrIivefioUsE swarms MANUFACTURING country, A conro m'rron or rEuNsYLvAuIA.

conmio'rnn socxu'r.

Application .filed January .23, 1923. Serial No. 614,500.

socket members severally comprise an inter-- mediate portion to which the end of a con:

ductor wire is electrically connected, aplurality of forwardly extending, resilient, spacedjaw members, anda rearwardly ex-. tending resilient holding member having a curved end portion to secure the socket n'1em her in its properoperative position in the casing and to prevent its longitudinal motion relative thereto. I

The inner one of the forwardly extending j aw members issubstantially flat and is pros rided with a. resilient tongue portion to interlock with and hold a flat connector-pin member, which the socket member may be caused to operati'vely, engage. The other jawmember may be either of arcuate or of V-SlltlPQ in lateral section, or it maycomprise a pair. of spaced, resilient, flat, and parallel-extending portions located in a plane at right angles to the other jaw portions.

Each of the metal socket members is held in its initially flexedposition within the casing by a three-point engagement therewith. H

In the single sheet of drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan viewot one part 6 of an electric-insulating casing with the socket members embodying my invention, shown in normal position therein,

Fig.2 is a top'plai'i view of: an electric insulating casing, with a portion thereof cut away, to illustrate the position of the metal.

socket memberswheu opei'ati'vely engaging a pair of parallel-extending spaced flat connecter pins, 1 i

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. illustrating the position of one of the metal socket members when engaging round contact pins spaced apart,

Fig. 4:. is a view similar to Fig.

- contact pins spaced W apart 2, butv illustrating the position of the inetal socket members when operatively' engaging round Fig. is a View similar ti) F 2but illustrating the position of the metal socket members when operati'vely engaging tandem Y flat contact bars,

Fig. 6 is a view, in side elevation, ofa] part of the flat jaw portionof the metal socket member, i f

Fig. 7 is a top plan viewof the portion. illustrated in Fig. 6,

Fig. 8 is a view, on a reduced scale, the punched sheet metal socket member of plate constituting the Fig. 9 is a View, in lateral sectiomthrough a metal socket member, taken on the line IX-IX'of.Fig. 1, and

Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are views, in lateral section, of modified forms of socket members, the views corresponding to that of Fig. 9.

A connecter socket 21 comprisestwo substantially similar casing-portions 22 and 23 which nay be made of any suitable electricinsulating refractoryv material, and molded to the desired shape. .In general, each of the members 22 and 23 is relatively flat and is provided with a suitably recessed face on the inner side and a suitably curved surface on the outer side. The two members are secured together bya plurality of suitable bolts 24, co-operating with nuts, (not shown) extending through openings 25 provided in each of the casing members 22 and 23. While a particular form of easing has been shown, the exact form and contour are not essential and form 110 part of my in vention.

In the recessed inner face of the member socket members 26, each comprising a single punched and formed pieceof resilient and 22 there are located a pair of resilient metal relatively thin sheet metal, the contourot which before forming, is substantially as illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawing.

An intermediate portion 27 of the sheet 1 metal piece 26 comprises a rearwardly extending'short'strip which isfolded upon itself in order to provide suflicient thickness of metal to receive a machine screw 28 which secures the end of a supply circuit lead 29 against the metal socket member26 to electrically connect it thereto. 6

A forwardly-extending, resilient fiat jaw portion 31 is bent upwardly at right angles to the plane of the intermediate portion 2"? and a resilient tongue portion 32 is punched therefrom and extends in a rearwardly direction thereof. The outer or free end of the tongue portion 32 is provided with an outwardly bent or projecting portion, which is adapted to operatively engage and interlock with an opening provided in the usual fiat connector bar 33 now in extensive use.

tion 34 of the sheet metal piece 26, may be bent to any one of a variety of forms. For instance, as illustrated in Fig. 9 of the drawing, I may bend this jaw portion to sub stantially arcuate contour in lateral section.

I may also slot the portion 3 1, as illustrated in Fig. 12 of the drawing, for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth in detail. 1 may also so form the portion 34 as to be substantially of V-shape in lateral section, and

' may slot the same, as illustrated in Fig. 11.

A rearwardly-extending resilient holding and locking portion 35 integral with the jaw portions and the intermediate portion, is bent upwardly at the same time that the jaw portion 3st is bent and is provided with a hook portion 36 which is adapted to fit around an upstanding ing or post 37 integral with the casing member 22. The outer end of the portion 35 is bent away from the intermediate portion 27 of the metal socket member to such an extent that it is necessary to straighten the socket member structure when placing the samein its proper operative position within the recessed case of the member 22.

This method provides an initially-flexed, resilient metal socket member that is held in the casing and against lateral movement relatively thereto by a three-point engagement therewith. These three points are the outer front-end of the jaw portion 3 1 which engages the outer wall of the recessed casing 22, the inner side wall of the intermediate portion 27, and the outer surface of the hook portion 36 of the spring member 35. It is understood, of course, that the width of the recess within which each of the metal socket members 35 are located, is relatively greater than the width of the socket member and is such as to co-operate with the metal socket member to effect the mounting hereinbefore described.

The two conductor leads may be combined 'in the usual supply-circuit conductor 33 which extends outwardly through an opening 39 in the inner end of the casing 21, a. helical spring member 41 being provided to surround the supply-circuit conductor 38 for a short distance adjacent to the socket 21 to.

prevent undue kinking or bending thereof. The helical spring 41 is provided with an enlarged inner end turn to hold the same in its proper operative position relatively to the casing 21.

The hereinbefore described connecter socket is intended to be used with any one of the connecter plugs now in use, which have contact pins as follows: i

1. Parallel flat bars spaced between centers.

2. Round contact pins spaced distance between centers.

3. Round contact pins spaced between centers.

4. Tandem flat contact bars spaced between centers.

EV hen the device embodying my invention is employed with a connecter plug having parallel "lat bars, as per item 1 of the list above, the relative final positions of the contact bars 33 and of the metal connecter sockets 26 is substantialiyas illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The bars 33 operatively engage the adjacent inner faces of the respective contact jaw portions 31, the projecting end of the tongue portion 32 fitting into the opening usually provided in the contact bars adjacent the end thereof to interlock therewith.

During the operation of engaging the metal socket member-s26 with the contact bars 33, the outer free end of the aw portions 31 of the respective members 26 are In Fig. 3 of the drawing, I have illustrated the position of the socket members 26 when they are operatively engaged by a pair of round contact pins 42 spaced distance between centers. lVhen the outer ends of the contact pins 42 firstoperatively engage the metal socket members 26, engaging both contact aw portions thereof, there will be a slight inward turning movement of the fiat jaw portions31 and possibly of the entire forward end of each of the metal socket members around the intermediate point of.

en 'a ement of each'of the socket members with thecasing22. There may also, be a. slightoutward lateral movement of theintel-mediate portion of each. of the socket members'in the final stage. of engagement, this outward movement being dependent. upon the extent of the co operatingslongitudinal engagement of the pins and socket members, x a Y In Fig. 4, I have illustrated the final posi tions of the connector socket members 26 when operatively engagedby round contact pins 42, spaced apart. In this case, there will be less turning movement of the outer ends of each of thefiat jaw portions 31 and of. the entire forward end of each of the socket members 26 toward each other during the initial period of engagement, and a greater outward lateral movement of the intermediate portion of the socket members in order to accommodate their positionsto the substantially fixed positions and spacing of the contact pins, the action. bein substandrawing. i

tially as described inthe preceding pargraph. In either case of; engagement with round contact pins, there is, of course, a resultant final straighteningnof the resilient socket members from their normal or inoperative flexed position, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing, to substantiallythe positions illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing.

It may also be noted that when the device embodyinginy invention is employed to operatively engage flat, spaced contact bars, as illustrated in. Fig. 2 of the drawing, only the fiat resilient jaw portions 31. are inoperative engagement with the fiat contact bars and the jaw portion 344s eil'ective only in co-operatlon wlth the integral spring extension 35 to insure close operative engagement between the jaw portion 31 and the contact bars When the device embodying my, invention employedwith round contact pins, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing, either both of the jaws 31 and 34 may operatively engage the pins 42 or-it is possible'that only the outer jaw portions 34 may operatively engage the contact pins 42, especially when the spacing between the round contact pinsis relatively great, a position which is illustrated in Fig. 4 of the Fig.5 illustrates the position of the connector sockets 26 when employed with tandem flat connecter bars 43 and while itis possible to employ substantially the same configuration of the jaw portion 34 aswas heretofore employed in co-operation with the round pins or the parallel fiat contact bars, I prefer to modify the shape of the jaw portions 34 in lateral section.

In Fig. 10, I have illustrated one modification comprising a slotted jaw portion, of substantially V-shape in lateral section, the fiat bars 43 being adapted to fit between the rcspectivespaced parts of the jaw portion 3.4,as illustratedby the broken line section of Fig-10. a

I may also employaslotted jawjportioir 34 of arcuate form,as illustrated in Fig. 12. of the drawing. The contact bars 43 are. located between the two. parts of the jawportion 34 substantially as illustrated by the broken line section of Fig. 12.

Fig. 11 illustrates a still further modification in which the two parts of the resilient jaw portion 34 are bent to substantially parallel relation and are spaced a relatively small. distance apart, determined. by the thickness. of the bars 43 which are adapted. to fit between. the integral parts 440i the jaw portion 34. If the distance between centers of the tandem fiatbars 43 is relatively small, they may operatively engage the jaw portion 31, as is illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawing, or, if the distance between centers is relatively large, they may engage only the parts of the jaw portion 34, as illustrated for instance, in Fig. 11 of the drawing. The device embodying my invention thus provides what may be termed a universal connecter socketthat is effective to co-operate with any one of a plurality of difi'erent connecter plugs of the type hereinbefore enumerated and is effective to make close operative engagement with the. cooperating connector" plug pins, thereby insuring that there will be no overheating of the connector plug or socket.

The cooperating connector socket and plug members may be easily and quickly brought into proper operative engagement and may be also easily and quickly disengaged, insuring that there will be practically no destructivearcing between the co-operating contact surfaces either when engaging the two parts or when disengaging the same.

i The metal socket member 26 is of substantially the contour illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawing, and may be punched from a relatively thin sheet metal member and subse quently bent to the desired form. Therearward extension 35, may be so bent as to necessitate flexing the same when placing the socket member in proper operative position in the recessed inner surface, of the molded member 22. As the metal socket members are merely laid in the grooves, the assembly of such a device can be accomplished easily and rapidly. Each of the re silient socket members will have slight lateral movement of either the front or outer end portion, or of the intermediate portion, depending entirely upon the spacing of the contact pins engaging the socket members, thereby insuring close operative engagement between the eo-operating connector parts, while still permitting of easily and quickly inserting or removing the sockets and pins.

Var-ions modifications and changes may iii be made in the device embodying my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art or set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a connecter socket, in combination, a casing, and a formed resilient, single-piece socket member located in said casing comprising integral flexed means for resiliently positioning said socket member in the easing, a plurality of integral jaw portions adjacent said flexed means, and integral means intermediate said flexed means and said jaw portions forsecuring an electric supply con-- doctor to said socket member.

2. Inv a connector socket, in combination, a casing, and a single-piece socket member located in said casing comprising a plurality of spaced-apart, pa *allel, jaw-portions, a flexed portion for resiliently holding said socket member in said casing, and an inter mediate portion adapted to have an electric supply conductor connected thereto.

In a connecter socket, in combination,

a casing and single-piece socket member located in said casing comprising a pair oi forwarthy-extending, parallel, spaced resilient jaw portions, one of said jaw portions being'operative to engage a flat contact. pin and the pair of jaw portions being operative to engage a round cont-act pin, a rearwardly-extending, resilient holding portion for positively securing said socket member in the casing, and an intermediate portion adapted for connection to an electric supply conductor.

In a connecter socket, in combination, a casing, and a socket member mounted in said casingand movable laterally relatively thereto and formed from a single piece or" spaced, resilient jaw portions, one of said socket member when engaging various pairs otcentact pins.

7. In a connecter socket, in combination, a casing and a pair of single-piece, resilient,

metal socket members located therein, each of said socket memberscomprising a plutions, one of said jaw portions being effective to operatively engage one of a pair of s )ELCQCl, parallel, flat contact pins, independently of the remaining jaw portions, and the remaining jaw portions being effective to operatively engage one oi a pair of spaced, round, or tandem flat contact pins.

8. In a connecter socket, in combination,

a casing having integral upstanding-lugs therein, and a pair of single-piece flexed, resilient, metal socket members located therein comprising a plurality of forwardlyextending resilient jaw portions, a rearwardly extending portion having a hook portion at the end thereof for engaging said lugs, and means for connecting a conductor to said socket member intermediate its ends.

9. In a connecter socket, in combination, aeasing, having a plurality oi recesses extending longitudinally thereof located therein, the lateral space between the walls of said recesses being substantially greater than the width of the socket members, and a pair of single-piece socket members located in said recesses comprising integral means for resiliently supporting said socket members.

in said recesses whereby lateral movement offthe socket members may be effected to accommodate their positions to pairs of contact pins having different distances therebetween.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 22nd day of January, 1923.

. ORA A. COLBY.

rality oi spaced, resilient, contact-jaw por- 

